Rotary planter



y M. J. U. COETZEE ROTARY PLANTER Filed July 22, 1944 jfwerzu': Mq'r'rf/xs bday/,vas 6057255 filly 29) 1947. M; J, U, COETZEE l 2,424,742

ROTARY PLANTER Filed July 22,1944 2 sheets-sheet 2 Patented `uly 29, 1947 ROTARY PLANTER I Matthys Johannes Uys Coetzee, Nigel, Transvaal,

Union of South Africa Application July 22, 1944, Serial No. 546,132 In the Union of South Africa August 19, 1943 4 Claims'. 1

Thi-s invention relates to improvements in planters of the wheeled type as used in agricultural operations for planting the seeds of crops in spaced parallel rows across a field over which the implement is drawn by :animal or mechanical draft means.

In one of the most widely used types of planters for this purpose, the seed ejecting means consists of a perforated disc-like seed plate rotatably mounted in the bottom of a seed container placed forwardly of the land wheel axle, from which rotary motion .is transmitted to said seed plate through a chain drive and bevel gearing. Similar power transmission means is used for operating a fertilizer discharging device mounted alongside the seed container. Both seed and fertilizer are led to a seed furrow, made by la forwardly fixed furrow opening share, by suitable guide chute means, the said furrow being closed by a land wheel suitably shaped for the purpose.

The main object of the invention is to provide a simplified planter implement in which the aforementioned chain drive and bevel gear mechanism for driving both the seed ejeoting and fertilizer distributing means, is eliminated.

According to the invention the seed ejecting and fertilizer discharging means of a planter of the general type referred to, consists of separate seed and fertilizer feed controlling members each of which is :arranged for rotary motion within a stationary casing having at least one .upper inlet aperture communicating with a hopper-like container, and at least one bottom discharge aperture communicating with a guide chute. leading to a seed Afurrow opened by a forwardly placed furrow-opening share, and in which both the said casings and the rotary feed controlling members are mounted on a land wheel axle, from which axle rotary motion is adapted to be transmitted directly to said feed controlling members.

The said casings are cylindrical in shape and are mounted co-axially with respect to said land wheel axle, the wheel or wheels mounted thereon being arranged to :act additionally in known manner as seed furrow closing means.

Rotary motion from the land wheel axle is arranged to be transmitted to the feed controlling members as and when required, iby clutching members slidably mounted on said axle and arranged to be actuated by manually operated con-v trol means. Preferably the said clutching members are spring-pressed towards their operative positions.

The feed controlling member for the seed concasing in which said seed ring is rotatably mounted, and wherein the seed is fed to the interior of said seed ring.

The feed controlling member for the fertilizer consists of a vaned rotor so arranged that the pockets formed between any two adjacent vanes are filled in turn as they pass beneath the top inlet aperture of the casing, while their contents are discharged as they pass in turn over the bottom discharge aperture of the casing.

To enable the invention to be more clearly understood and carried into practice; reference is now made to the accompanying drawings, in which like references denote like parts throughout the several views.

In the drawings:

Fig. 1 is a fragmentary perspective View of one side of :a double-row planter constructed accordme to the invention.

Fig. 2 is a similar View showing the seed and fertilizer casings only, but drawn to a larger scale.

sists of an #annular collar-like seed ring provided Fig. 3 is a perspective exploded view of the fertilizer casing and its associated parts.

Fig. 4 is a perspective exploded view showing the seed casing and its associated parts.

Fig. 5 is an end elevation of the seed casing and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the fertilizer feed controlling rotor showing method of varying the i rate of distribution.

Fig. 7 is a fragmentary view of joint in said ring.

Referring to the drawings, reference l denotes one half of the axle of la double-row planter, on which axle are mounted the seed casing 2 and the fertilizer casing 3, one on either side of the axle bearing 4 xed to the chassis frame 5. The planter is supported on two land wheels 6 of known construction at least one of which is keyed to the axle I so as to cause rotation thereof when the implement is drawn across the field.

The feed controlling member for the seed consists of the annular collar-like seed ring 'l (see Fig. 4) provided with a plurality of seed holes 8, and rotatably mounted-within the seed casing 2. For transmitting rotary motion from the axle I to said seed ring l, Athe clutch plate 9 i-s provided, in the peripheral recesses I0 of which the projections H of the seed ring 1 are adapted to engage when these parts are assembled within the casing 2. This clutch plate 9 is provided withav 3 ing 2, which is provided with an inwardly directed locating flange i3. The opposite open end of said casing 2 is closed by the fixed end plate i4, the recesses l5 in which engage with the locating bars I6 as shown in Fig. 2, for securing purposes. This end plate i4 is provided with a seed inlet connection l1 with which the bottom end of the seed container i8 communicates as lshown in Fig. l. The locating bars' I6 are secured to the casings 2 and 3 by means of the studs I9 while set screws passing through inwardly bent lugs 2l, provide the means for fixing the end plate I4 of the casing 2 and an end plate 22 of the casing 3.

To regulate the delivery of seeds through the holes -8 in the seed ring 1 and their passagev in succession through the bottom seed discharging opening .23 in the casing 2, and to prevent wastage in the event of the seed 'ri'ng 1 being stopped with one of its holes 8 in coincidence with said opening 23, a pivoted spring-pressed feed control flap 24 is adapted to forni a closure for each hole 8 as it registers with said opening. This iiap is pivotally mounted by a pin 25 passing through the xed end plate I4 as shown in Figs. 4 and 5. By means of an arm 26 and a small tension spring ,21, the said iiap is normally held in resilient spring-pressed contact with the inside surface of the seed ring 1 as it rotates in the direction indicated by the Varrow in Fig. 5. The seed discharging opening23-communicates with a discharge connection V28 adapted to be connected to a chute, spout or duct '29 leading to a known type of furrow-opening share '3dV asshown in Fig. 1. The clutch plate 9V is provided with an inwardly extending boss 3i' which engages rotatably in a hole 32 in the end plate-I4, `and thereby steadies the clutch plate 9 when it isbeing rotated.

The fertilizer feed controllingmember consists of the vaned rotor 34 which is rotatably mounted within the casing 3 Vby reasonoi the axle shaft I passing through the boss thereof. One end of said rotor 34 is shrouded asshown by an end disc 36 ,formed integrally therewith, which disc, -by bearing against the inwardly directed flange 31 of the casing 3, forms one end closure therefor. The other end closurefor the casing 3 consists of the end plate 22 `held in place by the locating bars VI6 engaging in the recesses 39 therein and. by the setscrews 20 bearing thereagainst as shown in Fig. 2. Qne `end of the boss of the rotor 34 projects beyond the end disc 36 and isthere suitably notched to constitute a clutch component 40. Thertop inlet aperture of the casing 3 is provided with a connection 4l by which it communicates with the fertilizer container 42.

The bottoni discharge opening communicates by way ofthe connection 43 with a chute, spout or duct 44 leading to the share 38.

To prevent choking of the top fertilizer inlet opening to the casing 3 due to lumpiness or dampness of the fertilizer, a small ramming rod 45 is arranged to be reciprocated vertically above and in line with said opening.

This `vrammingrod 45 is bent outwardly at its top end and projects through a slot in the side wall of the container 42 where it fits, by means of its boss 46, on to a vertical rod 41 which is slidably mounted in a bracket 46 and is operated by the bell crank lever 49 which -in turn is actuated by the pin 56 projecting crank-fashion from the end disc 3S, as clearly shown in Fig. 2. For varying the rate of fertilizer feed, the vanes 5| of the rotorv 34 may be slottedas shown in Fig. 6, toi-eceive blanking Voff plates 5:2. `Alternatively, ar-

rangements may be made-for vxing'solid lling pieces between two adjacent varies for the prpose of reducing the capacity of the pockets defined by said vanes.

The two casings 2 and 3 are supported from the chassis frame 5 by means such as by the vertical stays 53 which are bolted to the locating bars I6. Each of the clutch components l2 and 40 is adapted to co-act for engaging purposes with the anged clutch sleeves 54 which are feather-keyed to the axle I and are pressed towards their engaging positions by the compression springs 55. Withdrawal of the clutch sleeves 54 is effected by means of the pivotally mounted forked clutch le vers 56, the ends of which are pivotally connected to an operating link member 51 to which motion is imparted for clutch operating purposes by a suitably arranged hand lever not shown. Coiled compression springs 53, threaded over the studs t9 bear against the said clutch levers `56 and press them towards their oi positions as clearly shown in Fig. 2.

In operation the seed to be sown is fed by way of the container I-8 and inlet connection I1 into the interior of the seed ring 1. The seeds then drop into the seed holes 8 and as the ring 1 rotates, said seeds are carried past the control iiap 24 until they drop through the seedy opening 23 in the bottom of the casing 2, and thence by way of the chute or duct 2-9, into the rear part of the share 36. At thesame time fertilizer entering the casing 3 by way of the connection 4I, pours into the pockets formed between two adjacent vanes 5l as they pass beneath the inlet opening, and thereafter is discharged as said pockets register with the bottom opening and connection 43, whence the fertilizer is led by the chute or duct 44 to the rear part of said share 30 where it mixes with the seed as it is deposited in the seed furrow. ,Seed rings 1 having holesl 8 of different sizes will be used for diierent'. seeds. The planting mechanism is so constructed that the interchange of parts is made easy. To facilitate changing of the seed ring 1, it is Ysplit so as to permit of its being passed over the axle l without having to dismantle it from its mountings, as shown in Fig. 7.

The seed and fertilizer containers i8 and 42 are supportedfrom the frame 5 in any convenient manner.

What I claim is:

l. In an apparatus of the character described, the combinationof a vehicle having wheels and a rotary axle for the same, a cylindrical container for granular material, the cylinder having an open end and a discharge opening at its circumference, a rotary dispenser for granular material in the container provided with a circular disc-and positioned with said disc against the open end of the container to close the same, a hub for said rotary dispenser loosely seated on the rotary axle, and means for drvingly connecting the hub with the axle.

2. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a vehicle having wheels and a rotary axle for the same, `a cylindrical container for granular material, the cylinder having an open end and a discharge opening 4at its circumference, av dispenser 'in the form of a tubular cylinder seated within said container, said cylinder being open at 'both ends, a .circular disc attachable 'to one 'of the 'open ends rof the tubular cylinder and adapted to be 'positioned-against vthe open end Yof the container to form la closure for the same, a clutch for the disc, and means for connecting the yclutch with the rotary axle of the vehicle.`

3. In an apparatus of the character described, the combination of a vehicle having Wheels and a rotary axle for the same, a `cylindrical container for granular material, the cylinder having an open end and a discharge opening at its circumference, a dispenser in the form of a, cylindrical drum in the interior of said container, a fcircular disc with which said drum is connectable, said circular disc being loosely mounted on the vehicle axle, the .cylindrical dispenser having a plurality of openings circumferentially distributed, and means for directly driving said circular vdisc and cylindrical dispenser from the rotary axle of the vehicle.

4. In an apparatus of the vcharacter described, the combination of a vehicle having Wheels and a rotary axle, a cylindrical Icontainer opn -at one end and having a discharge opening in its circumference, a dispenser drum in the interior of said container, said drum having a plurality of openings in its circumferfenti-al Wall, a circular disc connectable with one end of the drum and adapted to form an end closure for the `container REFERENCES CITED The following references are of record in the file of this patent:

UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,161,369 Ayers Nov- 23, 1915 684,684 Garrison Oct. 15, 1901 711,996 Moore Oct. 28, 1902 213,995 Markoe Apr. 8, 1879 

